Act II/Scene I

Appearing characters (in order): Robin Goodfellow (a.k.a. Puck), Fairy, Oberon, Titania, Demetrius, Helena

Plot

 * Robin Goodfellow and the Fairy come across each other in the forest. Robin asks the Fairy where she goes to.


 * The Fairy tells Robin that she serves the Fairy Queen and she wanders around flowers, water and fire. Then, she says that she has to go, as the Fairy Queen and her elves are about to come.


 * Robin replies the Fairy by saying that if the Queen is about to come, then Oberon, the King who will do his revels tonight must not see her. He explains the reason for this by telling her that the Queen had stolen an Indian boy and King Oberon would have this child, but the Queen had not given the boy to him, which had caused Oberon to go jealous.


 * As the Fairy exits the scene, Oberon the King and Titania the Queen come.


 * Oberon tells Titania that he will meet her by moonlight, but Titania refuses this by saying that he is jealous. Oberon replies to this by saying that he is the Lord of her, but Titania disagrees this and she says that she isn’t the Lady of him. Then she tells Oberon that he loves a warrior (which is soon revealed to be Hippolyta by the replying Oberon) and accuses him of willing to give enjoy and prosperity to Theseus’s wedding.


 * After Titania accuses Oberon of loving Hippolyta, Oberon says that she too loves someone. Titania tells Oberon that all these statements are “forgeries of jealousy” and she hadn’t met him since the “middle summer’s spring”.


 * Oberon begs Titania to be with him, but she refuses this and says that she had taken the Indian boy from a dead woman who was once her very supporter (or “votaress” archaically) and that boy was dead too (as in “But she being mortal, of that boy did die”).


 * After a question of Oberon about it, Titania tells him that she has to stay until Theseus’s wedding. Then, she says that if he patiently joins her celebrations, he can come with them; but if not, he must shun her. Oberon replies to this by saying that he will come if she gives the boy to him. However, Titania refuses this and exits the scene with her elves.


 * When Oberon and Robin stay alone, Oberon tells him that he had discovered the special juice of a plant that was created by the hit of a single arrow from the Cupid’s bow. According to Oberon, if this juice is dropped into the eye of someone, he/she falls in love to the first creature he/she sees.


 * By using the effect of this juice, Oberon plans to make Titania fall in love with him as she sleeps. However, as he doesn’t have the juice, he tells Robin to find the juice as quickly as possible.


 * After Robin exits the scene, Oberon talks to himself and tells what he will exactly do. But suddenly, he sees two people coming toward him. Oberon decides to become invisible and overhear them.


 * These two people are no other than Demetrius and Helena. Demetrius walks and Helena follows him. He tells Helena that he doesn’t love her, therefore she shouldn’t follow him. However, Helena constantly resists against this and tells Demetrius that she loves him, no matter if he loves her or not.


 * Demetrius can stand no longer and tells Helena that he will run away from her, thus leaving her to “the mercy of wild beasts”.


 * Helena gets surprised and tells Demetrius that this is nothing but cowardice (as in “When cowardice pursues, and valour flies”). Demetrius insists on running away and says that he will do her mischief in the woods if she insists on following him.


 * Even though Helena is persistent, Demetrius runs away and exits the scene. Helena talks to herself and says that she will make a “heaven of hell” for him.


 * Meanwhile, Puck (Robin) comes and gives Oberon the juice. Oberon says that he will use a part of the juice for his plan of making Titania fall in love to him, but he also tells Puck to drop some of the juice into the eyes of Demetrius (which Oberon refers to as the “Athenian man”)